Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka said goodbye to tennis in front of his home fans after a straight-sets loss to Jiri Lehecka in Basel.
Stan Wawrinka's career ended where it mattered most, in front of his own people. The Swiss icon lost in straight sets to Jiri Lehecka in the opening round of the Swiss Indoors in Basel, and the home crowd turned the defeat into a long, emotional send-off.
Lehecka did the job on court, and the Czech deserves credit for handling a heavy atmosphere. This night was always going to belong to Wawrinka, though. Every point drew a roar, and the farewell mattered more than the result.
Wawrinka leaves as one of the great big-match players of his era. He won three Grand Slam titles, at the Australian Open in 2014, the French Open in 2015 and the US Open in 2016. His one-handed backhand became one of the most admired shots in the sport, and he was fearless when the stakes were highest. He also won Olympic doubles gold at Beijing 2008 alongside Roger Federer.
A first-round exit is a quiet scoreline for a career that loud. The standing ovation told the real story, as Basel thanked a champion who spent two decades making Switzerland proud on the biggest stages in tennis.
